Ottawa Senators Get Draft Pick Back Following Botched Dadonov Trade

The NHL has announced a modification to the longstanding penalty against the Ottawa Senators stemming from the Evgenii Dadonov trade saga. The trade, which originally included the Vegas Golden Knights in 2021, led to the invalidation of the 2022 Vegas-to-Anaheim deal due to an undisclosed issue with a no-trade clause. The Ottawa Senators were penalized by the NHL for failing to disclose a 10-team no-trade list when trading the forward.

Per the official NHL announcement, the original sanction—forfeiture of their 2026 first-round pick entirely—has been amended. Essentially, the Senators have got their first-round pick back. There are, however, a few caveats:

• The Senators will retain their 2026 first-round pick, but they are forced to select 32nd overall (the final pick of the first round, equivalent to the last selection before the second round begins).
• They cannot trade this pick away (it’s locked to them at that position).
• They will also pay a $1 million CAD fine.

The NHL also noted:

“With regard to the Draft Lottery, in the event the Ottawa Senators do not qualify for the Stanley Cup Playoffs this year, the team will still be allocated the same Lottery odds that would have normally been assigned to the Club based on and consistent with its Regular Season finish, but the Club will not be eligible to “win” the Draft Lottery. In the event a number combination assigned to Ottawa is selected in either of the two (2) Lottery Draws, it will result in a re-draw. This ensures that the odds of all other non-Playoff Clubs to win the Lottery are enhanced equally.”

This is a notable downgrade from losing the pick entirely. Senators’ ownership had pushed for leniency, citing precedents, time elapsed, and personnel changes since the infraction under former GM Pierre Dorion. The league cited “due and thorough consideration” in modifying the penalty after the original 2023 ruling (which allowed Ottawa to choose forfeiture in 2024, 2025, or 2026—they deferred to 2026).

Impact on the Senators

It was smart to push the penalty, which gave the NHL time to change its mind. As a result, they avoid completely losing a first-rounder, which is a big win for rebuilding effort.